Gamescom 2013: Sony and Microsoft impress at the gaming convention

Gamescom is the world’s premier gaming industry trade fair, doubling as a public convention. The fair attracts more than 280,000 fans worldwide eager to get a load down on the latest software and hardware consoles that haven’t yet hit the streets. This year’s Gamescom 2013 fair was held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany from August 21st to 25th and has proven to be one of the most important in recent years.

Gamescom 2013 highlights

There was plenty of low-key and indie gems at the Gamescom 2013 conference in Germany, but the highlights was Microsoft and Sony's revelations on their upcoming new consoles: the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 respectively.

The PS4

The PlayStation 4 is expected to hit the UK stores on 29 November just two weeks after its launch in the US. It will be priced at £349 in the UK and $399 in the US. Previous-generation PS3 will get a price cut to €199 for the European market and $199 for the US market.

Thirty-three titles will be released for the PS4 and almost all will feature remote play. Among the forthcoming titles are family-friendly platformers like Knack, superhero romp inFamous: Second Son and alternate history adventure The Order: 1886. While Sony was somewhat low key at the fair, it reinforced its already strong showing and affirmed the PlayStation 4 is in fine shape.

The Xbox One

We didn’t get a date for when the Xbox One will debut, but Microsoft provided plenty of information on what we can expect. First off, Microsoft said a third of its launch titles would be exclusive to the Xbox One.

Among the key launch games we can expect are Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag, Need for Speed: Rivals, Skylanders: Swap Force, Cobalt, Dead Rising 3, Just Dance 2014, Fable Legends, Zumba Fitness: World Party and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. Battlefield 4 is arguably the most anxiously awaited game of the year and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

In the meanwhile,

EA sports let the cat out of the bag with excellent news that its forthcoming titles, including 2014 editions of FIFA, NBA Live and Madden will be free to play on mobile devices next year. Another excellent piece of news revealed at Gamescom 2013 was the announcement that anyone who pre-orders an Xbox One will receive a free copy of Fifa 14. Pretty sweet deal, we can confidently say.